


Lone working

by tcourtois



Category: Football RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-19
Updated: 2015-01-19
Packaged: 2018-03-08 06:59:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3199808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tcourtois/pseuds/tcourtois





	Lone working

Lina knew that working on Christmas day sucked, she was a nurse on house calls so she worked alone, which added to how much working on a holiday sucked. However, for many of the elderly people she visited that day, she would be the only person they saw at Christmas. She reminded herself of that every time she felt the need to complain.

At noon she reached the house of one of her favourite patients. Her name was Margo and she was a fascinating 80 year old woman who told the most wonderful stories that could easily occupy Lina for hours if she didn’t have somewhere else to be, that is. One day she had popped around on her day off to do a wellbeing check on Margo just because she wanted a slice of her famous walnut cake and a chat.

Today Margo was bright, and was sat in her riser recliner chair in the lounge when Lina arrived. The carers had obviously spent extra time today getting Margo dressed. Lina wondered if she had somewhere to go, like the local church, or if she had family that would be visiting. She didn’t speak of her family often, Lina had taken that to mean that they weren’t actively involved in her care or lived far away.

“My grandson is coming.” Margo told Lina as soon as she saw the young nurse.

Lina grinned at her, pleased that she wouldn’t be alone on Christmas day.

“That’s wonderful Margo. Will he be staying long?” Lina asked. She knew to get Margo talking so that she could measure her blood sugar level without a problem. Margo wasn’t a fan of needles so it was best for the whole process and for both of them that she be distracted while Lina worked.

“Oh no dear, he has a very important job. He lives in Dortmund.” She was clearly very proud of him, Lina could tell that much. He had never been mentioned to her before, but of course, Margo was a little forgetful.

“That’s only 10 minutes away.” Lina was a little taken aback that he didn’t visit more often, living so close and made a mental note to speak to him about that if he arrived while she was with his grandmother.

“Oh yes but every other week they have to play away from home.” Then Margo pointed at something hung on the wall. Lina looked up as she prepared to take a small amount of blood from Margo’s fingertip. What she saw when she looked up was a Borussia Dortmund jersey. It had a name on the back, but Lina didn’t recognise it. She didn’t watch football often, only when she was in the company of her male friends or her father.

Lina pricked Margo’s finger while she was looking up at the shirt and used her hand held machine to measure the sugar level which was absolutely fine. She was surprised at that, at Christmas most people’s sugar levels rocketed with all the candies being consumed. Perhaps the next time she visited Margo would have been visited by her grandson and been spoilt by him.

“He will be here any minute, and the two of you may really get along. He is about your age.” Lina laughed softly then, Margo was clearly trying her hand at match making. Lina was flattered that Margo thought that she was good enough for a grandson that she was obviously immensely proud of. She was glad that they had a very good working relationship with each other. Margo often refused to see the other district nurses because she wanted to see Lina.

“There’s something else we need to talk about Mrs Braun.” Lina sat across from her just as the front doorbell rang. “Don’t get up, I’ll answer the door.” She offered, getting up from the chair before her patient could argue. She walked to the door and opened it. Behind the door was a young man, who was about her age (Margo had been right about that) carrying a huge bouquet of flowers. She couldn’t actually see him that well over the top of them.

“Is my grandmother here?” he asked.

Lina thought that was an odd question to ask. Why would she be there if not to see his grandmother?

“She’s in the lounge, we were just checking her blood sugars.” What Lina wanted to speak to Margo about might have to wait due to the arrival of her grandson, she wasn’t sure if she was comfortable discussing the matter in front of him as it may upset both of them.

Weighing things up, she thought that she probably should tell Margo when she had the support of someone else, and so, as she led her grandson into the lounge she made up her mind.

“Erik!” Margo cried from her chair. She got up very slowly, using the reclining function to help her up onto her feet, and the chair arms for support before enveloping her grandson in her arms. He hugged her back equally as tightly, the flowers discarded on the coffee table.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your nurse’s visit grandma, would you like me to make some tea while you finish?” he asked. Lina thought he was very polite, very polite for a footballer, she had read some horrific articles about the way they treated people. She was pleasantly surprised about this one. Maybe her news wouldn’t be so hard on them after all.

“Oh yes please dear. This is Lina, she helps me greatly. She’s my absolute favourite. I always ask for my Lina.” Lina sat back down as Margo spoke.

Lina said nothing as Erik left the room to go into the kitchen.

“He’s a real catch my grandson. Still no boyfriend for you my dear?” Margo asked.

Lina went a plum shade. She had noticed that Erik was a catch, and no, she had no boyfriend.

“No boyfriend yet Mrs Braun. I’ll wait for you to have your tea and for Erik to come back before I say what I needed to.” Lina looked through her notes briefly. Margo’s GP had been very precise in his diagnosis, but hadn’t want to call her into his office, the news needed to be delivered in a comfortable environment. Lina agreed wholeheartedly with that, and as soon as she had seen the GP’s notes on Mrs Braun’s case she knew that she had to be the one to deliver the news.

Erik came back into the room some moments later and took a seat beside his grandmother.

“There’s something I need to discuss. I know that it’s the wrong time of the year to do this, but the longer you are kept in the dark the worse the prognosis will be.” Lina took a deep breath, not really knowing how to put into words what was wrong with Mrs Braun.

“Is there something wrong with my grandmother Lina?” Erik asked in a quiet voice, taking Margo’s hand.

Lina nodded solemnly. “Your doctor has asked me to talk to you about his diagnosis, as he knows that we have a good relationship. I promise to support you as much as I can, but you will also need a lot of support from your family.” She looked at Erik then.

“Whatever it takes. I’ll move you closer to me in Dortmund.” He said straight to Margo, avoiding actual eye contact with Lina. She could see that his grip on his grandmother’s hand had gotten tighter.

“You have been rather forgetful recently Mrs Braun. Your neighbours and your carers were getting very concerned for your wellbeing. I’m afraid, you have the early stages of dementia.” Lina tried not to show that she too was pained by the news. Margo was her favourite patient and she couldn’t bear the thought of the day when Margo no longer recognised her, or when Margo was no longer on her call list and in a nursing home instead.

Erik swiped his thumb beneath his eye to catch the tears threatening to fall.

“So I’m going crackers?” Margo asked.

That was enough to set Lina off, she pulled a tissue out of her pocket and dabbed at her eyes, trying not to get too emotional. “I’m going to miss your stories so incredibly much Mrs Braun. You have been such a wonderful patient.”

Erik pulled Margo into a hug then. It had dawned upon her the weight of her condition.

“I won’t remember you. I won’t remember you, or my Erik, my late husband…my children. I won’t remember Mrs Hessler down the road, that old cow.” Margo reeled off the list of names, each earning a tiny sob from Lina until the last one, which she couldn’t help but laugh at.

“I am so sorry. If there is any way that I can offer support it would be my pleasure.” Lina dabbed her eyes again as she spoke to them, her voice now nothing but a quiver.

“Come here.” Margo asked, beckoning Lina over.

Lina stood and walked over to Margo, avoiding the flowers on the coffee table. Margo had her sit down on the other side of her.

“Now, I’d like to see the two of you both happy before I forget who I am, and who you are.” She took Lina’s hand and Erik’s and lay Lina’s hand on top of his.

Lina didn’t realise what Margo was trying to say for a moment. She was so upset that her brain didn’t register the old woman’s plan.

She decided then and there, that she would at least give Erik a chance.

~

2 years later.

“This is for you.” Margo handed Lina a small silver jewellery box. Lina couldn’t quite believe what Margo was doing, but accepted it from her.

“What is it?” Lina enquired as she held the box.

“For you to wear today, something old, and something borrowed.” Margo was in very good spirits. She had been given a new lease of life since moving closer to Erik in Dortmund. She was in the best nursing home that money could buy, and was thoroughly enjoying the social interaction.

“Oh Margo. I don’t know what to say.” Lina felt a tear in the corner of her eye as she opened the box to reveal a stunning pair of diamond earrings. “Thank you.” She said before putting them on. She then spun once in her dress. “How do I look?” she asked.

Margo grabbed her hand then, holding onto it tightly. “Like the most beautiful woman on this planet, and definitely like the perfect wife for my Erik.”

“It’s all because of you.” Lina smiled at Margo, she really was the reason that she had found the love of her life. If Margo had another favourite nurse, then it would probably her here now, in the old converted barn they had chosen to be their wedding venue, about to marry a Borussia Dortmund football player.

“I’m so glad I made it.” Margo spoke now through her tears, wiping them away with her tissue.

“I’d like you to give me away Margo, if that’s alright with you. You know my father passed away some years ago, and my step father is stuck in Iceland due to the volcano. I’m happy to wheel you down the aisle in front of me.” Lina gestured to the wheelchair that Margo was sitting in. As soon as she said it, she thought that Margo was going to have one of her seizures, and she panicked for a moment.

“That would be wonderful.”

~

And so Lina walked down the aisle, pushing her eldest friend in front of her in her wheel chair. Erik waited at the end of the aisle, looking the most handsome he ever had been. Margo remarked about it as they made their way up to him. She hadn’t stopped crying the whole day. She couldn’t quite believe that her two favourite young people in the whole world were getting married, couldn’t believe that the nurse who had gone above and beyond her job role to care for her was about to become her granddaughter, and be a part of her family. Margo was glad that she had pushed them that day, she didn’t feel an ounce of guilt for using her diagnosis to push them together. Lina had told her at every visit how she had truly found her soul mate in Erik. Margo was proud that she had gotten to witness true love again.

“Thank you Margo.” Lina leant down and kissed Margo’s cheek before turning to Erik to say her vows.

~

That day Lina married her best friend, her soul mate. That day Erik married someone he could truly care for, the selfless person he always wanted to share his life with. He saw his grandmother at her happiest. From that day on, Margo’s health declined. The couple visited her every single day, and in the months leading up to the end of Margo’s life Lina got a job as the duty nurse at Margo’s nursing home, and gave birth to Margo’s very first great-grandchild, a little girl who they named after her. Erik went on to win the Champions League, Bundesliga and a World Cup, dedicating every goal and victory to the women who inspired him, two named Margo and one named Lina.


End file.
